Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna for a communication terminal and a method of manufacturing the same, and more specifically, to an antenna for a communication terminal, which is formed in an inner curved surface part of a communication terminal case, and a method of manufacturing the same.
Description of the Related Arts
In general, a communication terminal has an antenna for communication. According to a function of the communication terminal, various antennas such as a DMB antenna, a navigation antenna and the like are provided in the communication terminal.
Among these antennas, a communication antenna is embedded in an inner part of the communication terminal, and a DMB or navigation antenna is installed to protrude to the outside or is configured to be fixed to the body of a cellular phone in a separate accessory form.
Recently, an antenna mounted to a rear surface of a communication terminal case rather than a separate antenna module has been widely used. It is problematic that since a curved surface is present in an antenna installation part of the rear surface of the case, it would be difficult to form a conductor.
Accordingly, in order to mount the antenna to the rear surface of the case, an in-mold injection technology or an LDS (laser direct structuring) technology has been used.
The in-mold injection technology is a technology including a part which prints a surface of an injection molding product by transferring a transfer film such as a printed circuit board on the surface of the injection molding product during an injection molding process of the product, namely, a technology for printing and controlling the transfer film in the molding product to be molded. The LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) technology is a technology for producing a circuit capable of performing a function of the antenna by forming a pattern on resin using a laser, and thereafter, plating the pattern with Cu, Ni or Au.
However, when the antenna is produced using the in-mold injection method or LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) method, in spite of high manufacturing costs, it is problematic that mechanical strength of the antenna is low and a defective rate is high.